The Block War
by Mesh Ringtail
Summary: Mesh Ringtail, a struggling musican, makes the mistake of taking in a battered vixen. Later, he finds out the vixen's abusive boyfriend is a vicious gang member who will stop at nothing to get her back. Chapter 2 is up!! Hope's boyfriend comes into the pi
1. Hope

This is the first chapter of a story I'm writing to introduce my character, Mesh Ringtail, to the masses. Mesh is a product of my imagination and is not to be used in any other fan fiction without my consent. One more thing: This is my first attempt at writing fan fiction, so if I suck, feel free to hit me with any and all criticisms. I can take it.  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
The Block War  
-Chapter 1-  
  
Hazy grey smoke curled up around Mesh's face as he sat, keeping company with a small bottle of whiskey. Removing the cigarette from his mouth, the raccoon poured himself another shot and drank quickly, grimacing as it burned the back of his throat.  
  
  
  
....That was my eight one and I still don't feel numb. Either I'm becoming immune to this stuff, or I just got a weak batch....  
  
  
  
A chubby, middle-aged cat walked by, carrying a tray of dirty glasses in her paws. "Can I get you anything else?"  
  
Mesh looked up and smiled. "No thanks, Alice."  
  
The cat returned Mesh's smile. "Alright then, take it easy. Go home and get a good night's sleep. Honestly Mesh, you look like crap."  
  
Mesh ran a paw through his spikey black hair, pushing it away from his eyes. "Thank you, Alice. You sound more like my mother everytime I come in here for a drink."  
  
Alice laughed and started back towards the kitchen, talking over her shoulder as she side-stepped past empty tables. "Ha! If I was your mother, I'd give you a good smack upside the head every now and then, tell you to straighten up when you sit and don't slouch so much, get a haircut and a nice girlfriend to look after you and keep you respectable....."  
  
Chuckling, Mesh took one last drag from his cigarette before extinguishing it into the nearest ashtray.  
  
  
  
....Good old Alice. Hard working girl, just trying to keep her nose clean and squeak out a living in this place. Corneria could use more like her. Funny though....she does remind me of Mom. I wonder how everyone is doing back on Papetoon. Maybe I should drop them a line, just to let them know I'm ok.....  
  
  
  
Mesh quickly pushed the thought from his head. Standing up, he dropped a couple of bucks down on the table as a tip for Alice and pulled on his baggy black coat. Walking to the door, Mesh realized that it must be later than he had thought. The bar was deserted, without a body in sight. He glanced up at the clock in the corner. It read 1:45 AM. Almost closing time.  
  
Suddenly, a vixen burst into the bar, running into Mesh and nearly knocking him over. Uttering a quick apology, she pushed past him and hurried over to a table in the corner. There, she buried her head in her arms and began to cry.  
  
Mesh would have just left it at that if it hadn't been for something strange, an odd curiousity that gripped him. Walking over to the table, he pulled up a chair and sat down across from her. The vixen didn't even look up. She just continued to cry, her shoulders quaking from the force of the sobs.  
  
Pulling the package of smokes from his pocket, Mesh took another cigarette For some reason, he suddenly felt as if he needed it, even though he had already smoked two earlier. "Would you like one?" he asked, offering up the carton.  
  
The vixen raised her head and looked at him through blurry brown eyes, one of which was bruised and beginning to swell shut. Her lip was cut and Mesh noticed that the left sleeve of her shirt was torn. Someone had smacked her around a bit. " I d-don't smoke." she managed to reply. Mesh shrugged and stuffed the carton back into his pocket.  
  
Alice came out from the kitchen and began wiping down tables.   
  
"Hey Alice, could I get a brandy over here?"  
  
Alice turned, paws akimbo. "Mesh, you know we're closing. Didn't I tell you to go home and get some sleep?"  
  
Mesh motioned with his head over to the vixen. "Alice.........it's for the lady."  
  
"Oh alright!" she exclaimed, throwing her paws in the air. "Ten minutes, Mesh. If your not gone in ten minutes, I'll throw you out myself. And don't think that I won't, either. I have a home to go to, you know. It's not like I live at this bar."  
  
"I owe you one!" Mesh called back, trying to get off the subject.  
  
"Oh, your damn right you do. Honestly, the things I put up with."  
  
Alice brought the brandy over and set it in front of the vixen, talking softly to her. "Here you go, hon. Looks like you've had a rough night. I'm not going to pry though. It's none of my buisness. I just run this place. Whatever I hear goes in one ear and right out the other. Oh, and don't mind Mesh here. He may look a little rough around the edges, but he's really a swee..."  
  
Before she could finish, Mesh had interrupted, looking somewhat mortified. "Alice! Thank you!"  
  
Picking up on the fact that she was being shooed away, Alice went back to wiping down tables, keeping one ear perked to try and catch a hit of what was being said.   
  
The vixen took the brandy and began to drink, her paws shaking slightly. After finishing, she set the glass down and wiped her eyes. "T-thank you for the drink."  
  
Mesh waved it off. "No problem. I'm surprised you didn't tell me to get lost or something."  
  
The vixen smiled at this, turning the empty shot glass over in her paws. She said nothing though. Trying his best to break the ice, Mesh introduced himself.  
  
"I'm Mesh Ringtail. What's your name?"  
  
"Hope......."  
  
Mesh raised in inquisitive eyebrow. "Just Hope?"  
  
The vixen looked down, fresh tears forming in her eyes. "That's what my boyfriend calls m-me."  
  
Taking one last drag on his cigarette, Mesh snuffed it out, trying to choose his next words carefully. Unfortunatley, they came out sounding all wrong.  
  
"Your boyfriend.......did he do this to you?"  
  
That brought on a fresh wave of sobbing. Mentally cursing himself, Mesh tried to back out of the hole he had just dug. "I'm sorry. Sometimes, I can get a little nosey."  
  
"It's alright," Hope managed to say, regaining some of her composure. "S-someone would have found out, sooner or later. You...........won't go to the p-police with this, will you? Oh please don't. He'd kill me if they found out..."  
  
"No.....of course not." Mesh answered, shaking his head. "I wouldn't dream of it."  
  
"Thank you again."  
  
With that, Hope got up and began walking to the door. It was then that Mesh noticed she was limping slightly. Pushing back from the table, he jogged over to her side.  
  
"Hey...where are you going?"  
  
Hope stopped, her paw on the door handle. "I.....don't know. I can't go back there. He'd just hit me again. I should just stay away until he cools down."  
  
Mesh rubbed his jaw thoughtfully, his striped tail swishing back and forth. "If you want, there's always my place. It's kinda small and a bit shabby, but it's better than wandering these streets all night."  
  
Hope looked up into Mesh's eyes. She seemed to be searching for something.....something hidden.  
  
"Why are you helping me like this?" she asked suddenly.  
  
To be honest, Mesh didn't know himself. Something about her and the situation she was in. There was a very real possibility that she could do something drastic and very, very final to herself if she didn't find someone who gave a damn. All those things.  
  
  
___________  
  
  
Mesh slid his key into the lock and turned it sharply, hearing the familiar click. Turning the knob, he pushed against the door and nothing happened. Pushing harder, it gave a slight groan of protest before sticking.  
  
  
......Damn door.......  
  
  
Mesh threw his shoulder against the door, knocking it free and nearly depositing himself on the floor. He stepped aside, allowing Hope to enter. Flipping a switch in the corner, the apartment was flooded with pale light. It was a small place. Small and clean, cozy enough for one raccoon.  
  
Taking off his coat, Mesh hung it on a peg near the door. "Would you like anything to eat?" he asked Hope.  
  
"No....I'm alright. I think I'd rather just go to bed."  
  
Mesh made his way back across the apartment, over to a door by the entrance. "This is my room in here." He swung the door open to reveal a small bedroom. "There's a bathroom in here too, just in case you want to clean up a bit. I'll be on the couch if you need anything."  
  
Hope turned, as if to say something important. but the words caught in her throat, and all she could muster was "goodnight" and another thank you before closing the door.  
  
Mesh sighed and walked over to a case in the corner. Taking the electric guitar from it, he picked up a small amplifier and carried it over to the couch. Plugging it in, Mesh sat down, picking off a couple of warm-up notes before launching into a song he had been writing.  
  
As Mesh's paw slid slowly along the guitar neck, he could faintly hear the sound of running water coming from behind his bedroom door. This made him smile. He was doing something nice for a stranger he'd met only an hour before and whose last name was a complete mystery to him. Despite the risks, it just seemed right.  
  
Mesh continued to play, the sounds made by the electric guitar in his paws drifting out the open window where they mixed with the sounds of the city and vanished. 


	2. Shakedown and a broken television

Here we go: Hope's boyfriend misses her. Time to get some information. As always, please don't use my characters in other fan-fiction without my consent. Thanks and enjoy.   
  
  
The Block War  
Chapter 2  
  
  
Vin was restless, his tail flip-floping like an acrobat on the floor. It was nearly four o' clock in the morning, and she still hadn't returned. Usually by this time, Hope would come crawling back to him, tail between her legs, apologizing for nothing at all. It was a pathtic display, but it enforced Vin's ego. After all, if he couldn't control his life, then why not control someone else's?  
  
In the background, the T.V. was going. Four pairs of beady eyes glued to a crappy late night movie featuring some busty vixen who couldn't act.   
  
Turning towards the flickering screen, Vin snarled. "How can you guys watch that shit?" His voice was met by a chorus of shushing.   
  
Vin resumed pacing, back and forth, glancing out the dirty window, past the flickering street lights for some sign of Hope. Nothing.  
  
"Grrrrrrr! She should be back by now! She's always back by now. Where the hell could she be?"  
  
Alin's voice floated from behind the couch, sounding slightly annoyed. "Man, she'll come back. She knows better than to go to the cops. Don't worry about it and let us finish our movie, man."  
  
Moving over to where Alin was sitting, Vin grabbed him by his canine muzzle and whispered dangerously. "You don't seem to grasp the seriousness of the situation, Alin. You're thick. Very stupid. Just like this damn movie that's seems so intresting. That's why I'm the leader of this little family unit. Not you."  
  
Releasing the quaking Alin, Vin then walked over to a dresser in the corner of the room. Pulling open the top drawer, he fished around until his paw touched something familiar. Cold steel. Taking the gun, Vin checked the clip. Fifteen Rounds. That was plenty.  
  
"Ok......the movie is over." He raised the gun and fired across the room. A single round struck the T.V dead square in an explosion of sound and sparks. The movie was indeed over.  
  
Vin walked over and crouched down in front of the television he had just killed, his boots crunching on the busted screen which now occupied the space on the floor in front of the couch.  
  
"Aw, don't worry your furry heads, boys. We'll get a new one. Now, to the matter at paw. We're going out to look for Hope. You all know what happens if she goes to the cops. That little fox will spill everything: Where we hide out, our connections, associates......everything."  
  
Vin turned his gaze back over to Alin. "I want you and and Skid to cruise the streets and see if she's just out wandering. I'll take the other two and go shakedown Mickey. If anybody's seen Hope, it's probably that worthless shit."  
  
Standing, Vin looked over towards the window and smiled. "Ok boys. That's the plan. Now, lets go hunting."  
  
_____________  
  
  
A nickname is a well deserved thing in the bad part of Corneria City and Mickey had earned his. He was known as "The Rat". By species, he was a droopy old hound dog, never seen without a bottle of cheap gin. By character though, he was a sneaking, conniving, old rodent. He saw things, and for a price, he'd tell anybody. The most notorious street hustler around. It was this reputation that brought Vin calling.  
  
The night found Mickey curled up in a cardboard box, gin bottle in paw, under a pile of dirty blankets. He was out of it for the most part, snoring away. An unfamilair sound brought one blood-shot eye open. In the darkness, Mickey could see a large knife blade sticking through the top of his box, sawing it's way just above his nose.  
  
Like a shot, he was out of the box and into the cool night air. Vin's buddies were waiting for him. Grabbing Mickey by the scruff of his neck, they hauled him upright.  
  
Vin's smiling face was the first thing Mickey saw when he opened his eyes.   
  
"Hello Mickey. How have you been lately. Still drinking that piss water I see."  
  
Mickey belched and took another swig from the half-empty gin bottle. Of all the scum that walked these streets, Mickey was the only one that Vin couldn't frighten.  
  
"I was tryin' ta' sleep, Vin. Why'd ya' go an' wake me up?"  
  
Vin chuckled. "Why does anybody ever visit your drunken ass anyway? The only reason is because they need information. If it wasn't for that, nobody would give bird shit about you."  
  
"I ain't got no information fer ya." Mickey snorted   
  
Vin walked back over to Mickey's box. Pulling his knife from the top, Vin ran his paw across the flat of the handle before flipping the blade closed. He jammed it into his pocket and threw an arm around Mickey's grubby shoulder.  
  
"Mickey.....why do you lie to me? I hate it when you lie. I know you see everything around this town, and I know you've seen Hope wandering around somewhere. Where did she go?"  
  
"I ain't seen that broad o' yer's." Mickey shot back, trying to sound convincing.   
  
He began to push away, but Vin just tightened his grip, turning it into a suffocating headlock. "I'm starting to lose patience with you, Mickey. Where the hell is she?"  
  
Mickey could feel the blood begin to drain away from his head. His eyes bulged as Vin pulled his arms even tighter against Mickey's neck. Little colored lights danced around a darkening scene. For a moment, Mickey couldn't even feel the ground beneath his feet. Fibbing to Vin wasn't going to work.  
  
"Alright....Alright.....I seen....her"  
  
Vin released the headlock and Mickey collapsed to his knees, coughing and dizzy, a thin stream of blood running from his nose.   
  
Crouching down, Vin grabbed him by one floppy ear and pulled him face to face. "Where was she?"  
  
Swallowing hard, Mickey poured it out. "I seen her 'bout three hours ago. She ran into Alice's bar, tha' one down on tha' corner. She comes out 'bout ten minutes later with this fella'. A raccoon 'e was, wearing a big black coat. They left together. That's all I seen, Vin. I swear it!"   
  
Vin pinched Mickey's ear between two claws, holding it just tight enough to break the skin. "Who's this raccoon she went with?"  
  
"He frequents Alice's bar......it's tha' only place I've ever 'im seen before. I ain't gots a clue who he is. Ow! It's the truth, Vin. Honest!"   
  
Disgusted, Vin tossed Mickey ear from his grip. Standing up, he turned back to the others. "It's too late for anymore tonight. We'll start earlier with a little stop at Alice's place. I wanna know who this raccoon is."  
  
As the three left, Vin called out over his shoulder. "Thanks Mickey! We'll keep in touch. Haha!"  
  
With that, they were gone, leaving a badly shaken Mickey to nurse his bleeding ear. 


End file.
